rack one's brain
English
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rack one's brain
Where it comes from
Combination of rack (“medieval torture method”), and brain, thus meaning “to cause the mind extreme discomfort”.
Variants include rack one's wit (1583) and rack one's memory, as well as cudgel one's brain / cudgel one's brains.
verb racks one's brain · racking one's brain · racked one's brain · rack one's brains · wrack one's brain
- To struggle to think of or remember something. I have been racking my brain all day trying to think of a birthday present for her.
Translations
Every language
verb struggle to think of something
| Español | devanarse los sesos, romperse la cabeza |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 脳漿を絞る nōshō o shiboru |
| 中文 | 絞盡腦汁 /绞尽脑汁 jiǎojìn nǎozhī |
| Português | quebrar a cabeça |
| Français | se creuser la tête, se creuser les méninges, se creuser la cervelle, se casser la tête |
| Deutsch | sich den Kopf zerbrechen |
| Italiano | scervellarsi, arrovellarsi, lambiccarsi il cervello, spremersi le meningi |
| Русский | лома́ть го́лову lomátʹ gólovu |
Talk about this word "rack one's brain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rack%20one's%20brain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rack one's brain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rack%20one's%20brain "rack one's brain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rack%20one's%20brain.Cite this
@misc{rack_one_s_brain_2026,
title = {rack one's brain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rack%20one's%20brain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
